Modular Structure Display Device

ABSTRACT

A display device with horizontal or vertical, alternating or continuous scrolling of at least two juxtaposed posters forming a strip, comprises a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer geometry with the posters being viewed on a rectangular front frame. The strip is driven in a translational movement parallel to the front frame by at least one power roller. The device further comprises two independent modules, each adapted for rotationally guiding at least one power roller or at least one idle roller. The modules are assembled together by at least one beam and are located on the shorter sides of the rectangle formed by the front frame.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a device for displaying scrolling juxtaposedimages forming a strip. Such a display device can, in particular, beused as a medium for several advertising campaigns when used as anadvertising poster panel.

The invention relates more particularly to a modular structure which isrelatively non-bulky in particular and easy to disassemble into severalindependent elements and has many advantages, especially when it comesto transporting it from the site where it is manufactured to thelocation where it is installed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Generally speaking, display devices are built from rigid,factory-assembled boxes which are then transported to their place ofuse.

As described in Document EP 0 214 587, this type of display deviceassembled in box form is very suitable for small-sized posters,especially posters having a surface area of less than 2 m². In fact, inthis case the boxes can be transported easily in a standard vehicle totheir place of use.

In addition and as described in Document DE 201 03 997 U1, displaydevices comprising a floor-standing base are also known. A top is thenpositioned facing this base and secured at a specific distance by meansof rods. An upper power roller is guided in rotation relative to the topand a lower roller acts as a counterweight and is concealed inside thebase. This roller is not guided in rotation relative to the base.

Such a display device is therefore not suitable for large posters andtransporting it and assembling its various component parts is not easyto achieve. In fact, the base must be positioned level and then theindependent lower roller must subsequently be fitted.

Besides this, for certain applications, especially for very large-sizeddisplay devices as described by the Applicant in Document EP 1 092 216,transporting an assembled device in box form can be extremelyproblematic and even impossible.

Thus, the object of the invention is to facilitate the handling andtransport of display devices from the site where they are produced tothe place where they are used which can be very remote and may involvetransport by air in particular. To achieve this, the invention proposesto minimise the number of independent elements whilst facilitating theirsubsequent assembly.

Also, the strip of posters is wound around drive rollers, one of whichat least is motor driven. The rollers are necessarily longer than thewidth of the strip of posters and this results in very significantweights, especially in the case of large-sized panels. The load-bearingmechanical structure and the bearings capable of providing a revolutejoint between the various rollers and the rest of the device musttherefore be dimensioned accordingly.

Another object of the invention is to use drive rollers that are asshort as possible in order to reduce firstly the weight of the displaydevice and secondly the entire mechanical structure intended to supportthem. Using rollers with compact dimensions makes them easier totransport and simplifies the load-bearing mechanical structure of thedisplay device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a display device with horizontal or vertical,alternating or continuous scrolling. In fact, this type of displaydevice can be used to scroll at least two juxtaposed posters forming astrip which can be endless in which case scrolling is continuous and theimages scroll in a single direction. The strip can also bediscontinuous. In this case, each of the ends of the strip is attachedto a roller and scrolling is then alternating in two oppositedirections.

Such a device comprises a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outergeometry and the posters are viewed on a rectangular front frame. Thestrip is driven in a translational movement parallel to the front frameby means of at least one power roller.

The term “substantially parallelepiped” also includes prismatic shapes,the base of which can, in particular, be a trapezoid. In this case, theface on the front frame can be wider than the rear face of the device.Such a layout then makes it possible to achieve an optical effect whichaims to make the device look slimmer.

The device is characterised in that it comprises two independentmodules, each including means for rotationally guiding at least onepower roller or at least one idle roller. The modules are assembledtogether by at least one beam and arranged on the shorter sides of therectangle formed by the front frame.

In other words, such a device consists of at least three elements joinedtogether. The beam makes it possible to keep the two modules apredetermined distance apart depending on the largest dimension of theposters to be scrolled. Also, the power rollers or idle rollers arearranged with a revolute joint relative to the structure of each module.Each roller is therefore constantly protected inside the space definedby one module.

These characteristics give the device a modular structure enabling it tobe easily transported and assembled on-site. Also, the modules are smalland this makes them easier to handle, store and makes it possible toreduce the size of the roller associated with the motor module of thedisplay device.

Advantageously, the display device may comprise means of transverselytensioning the strip. Such tensioning is obtained by stretching thestrip at right angles to the direction in which it moves. Thistransverse tensioning makes it possible to give the poster visualqualities in terms of flatness regardless of the conditions of theexternal medium in which the poster is presented. Transverse tensionmakes it possible, in particular, to improve the wind resistance of theposter.

In practice, the means of transversely tensioning the strip may compriseslide rails into which the beads or equivalent on the edges of the stripfit.

In fact, the strip can be provided, at the level of its edges, withshaped portions having a bead shape and be capable of fitting into theend of a slide rail. A flat portion of the bead emerges from the sliderail at the level of a groove and is attached by means of bonding,welding or the like to the strip formed by the posters.

If the strip is of the endless type, the bead is also endless at thelevel of the edges of the strip. Such a bead can be made of a materialwith a low coefficient of friction so as to facilitate sliding of thebead inside the slide rail.

In one particular embodiment, at least one of the slide rails can becapable of transverse translational movement relative to the directionin which the strip moves. In fact, movement of this slide rail relativeto the other slide rail makes it possible to adjust the tension of thestrip and, in particular, at the level of the face where the posters areviewed in the front frame.

Advantageously, the means of tensioning the strip transversely compriseelastic return components attached by their ends to the moving sliderail, on the one hand, and to the beam which joins the two modules, onthe other hand.

In other words, tensioning of the strip is obtained by stretching theelastic return components in an operating position. The strip is theninserted into the moving slide rail thus making it possible to obtaintransverse tensioning of the strip. The elastic return componentsconstantly tend to return to their idle position and move the slide railcloser to the beam to which they are fixed.

In practice, the display device may comprise means of longitudinallytensioning the strip. Such tensioning can be obtained, in particular, bycontrolling the electric power supply to the power rollers. In anotherembodiment, this tensioning can also be obtained by modifying thedistance between the centres of two rollers, thereby reducing orincreasing the distance traveled by the strip.

The means of longitudinally tensioning the strip may comprise a movingroller capable of translational movement relative to at least one powerroller with a revolute joint to one of the modules.

This way it is possible to use only a single power roller and the movingroller capable of translational movement is not motor driven. This“idle” roller has both a revolute joint to allow guiding of the stripand also a prismatic joint in a direction perpendicular to its axis ofrotation in order to create longitudinal tension.

In practice, the moving roller capable of translational movement whichmakes it possible to obtain longitudinal tension may be located insideor outside a module.

If the moving roller is located inside a module, the routing of thestrip makes it easier to assemble the two modules that form the displaydevice and fit the strip in such a device.

In another variation, the moving roller capable of translationalmovement can be located outside the modules between two beams.

In fact, in certain embodiments, especially if the number of juxtaposedposters exceeds two, the travel of the strip must be increased insidethe parallelepiped shaped device. The strip makes a detour and its pathmay include back-and-forth travel between the visible face of the stripon the front frame and the rear face of the device.

The means of producing translational movement of the moving roller canbe of various types, in particular they may use mechanical means such aspulleys with a counterweight in order to exploit the force of gravity inorder to move the moving roller. Nevertheless, various means can beused, especially elastic return means or electrical devices in order toremotely and automatically control translational movement of the movingroller.

In practice, the display device may comprise means of fixing on its rearface. This way, the display device can be suspended by its rear facefrom a wall or existing panel. This fixing means may be confined only tothe area of the independent modules or may extend to the beams whichlink the two modules.

For certain applications, particularly in outdoor environments, thedevice may also comprise a system to illuminate the scrolling strip.Such a system may operate on the principle of backlighting with thestrip passing in front of the lighting panel so as to allow viewing ofposters even when it is dark. The strip is backlit to make it constantlyvisible or ensure that it catches the attention of passers-by thanks toits extremely vivid colours.

Different variations can be produced, in particular each module maycomprise several power rollers. The rollers can be individually motordriven by means of several motors but they can also be driven by asingle motor which drives a chain or a belt that links the various powerrollers.

Advantageously, the motor drive can be located in a housing that isindependent of the module or at the end of the rollers. If both themodules of a single device each comprise at least one power roller,electronic means of control may make it possible to synchronise thepower supply to the various rollers so as to obtain longitudinaltensioning of the strip as well as alternating scrolling movement of thestrip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the way in which the invention is implemented and itsresulting advantages may more readily be understood, the followingembodiment is described, merely by way of example, reference being madeto the accompanying drawings:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a device, in its assembled anddisassembled configuration, in accordance with the invention.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are top views of two variations of a device such as thatshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the device in FIG. 1 mounted on a wall.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the variation in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of a means of transverselytensioning the strip in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the display device in accordance with theinvention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the display device in FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As stated earlier, the invention relates to a device for displaying astrip comprising at least two juxtaposed posters forming a strip.

As shown in FIG. 1, the posters can scroll horizontally and continuouslyin a single direction. Such a device (1) thus comprises two independentmodules (10, 11) attached to each other by means of a beam (7).

A strip (4) of at least two posters (2, 3) is then translationally movedparallel to front frame (5) so as to allow display of the variousposters (2, 3).

According to the invention, at least one of modules (10) comprises apower roller (6) in order to drive strip (4) translationally and meansof guidance making it possible to obtain a revolute type joint betweenpower roller (6) on the one hand and the structure of module (10) on theother hand.

Also, the other module (11) comprises an idle roller (18) which is notrotationally driven. However, such a module (11) also comprises means ofguidance making it possible to obtain a revolute type joint between idleroller (18) on the one hand and the structure of module (11) on theother hand.

Modules (10, 11) are arranged on the shorter sides (8, 9) of therectangle formed by front frame (5).

Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, such a display device can be disassembled intoat least three non-bulky elements. Device (1) comprises two modules (10,11) which can be stacked one on top of each other and beam (7) designedto maintain a constant distance between the two modules (10, 11). Such adevice is thus very simple to transport and not at all bulky to store.

When such a large-sized display device needs to be transported, it canbe disassembled and packed before shipment to its place of use. Thisway, it is possible to use conventional means of transport such asindustrial type lorries if the place of use is relatively close or airtransport if it is far away.

As shown in FIG. 3, such a device may comprise a plurality of powerrollers (36). In this variation, two modules (30, 31) are equipped withpower rollers (36), driving of which is synchronised by means of one ormore chains or belts on each module (30, 31). Advantageously, the powersupply can be synchronised between the two motor-driven assemblies ofeach of the modules.

As shown, one roller (35) can be arranged on one module (30) so as toobtain longitudinal tensioning of strip (4).

As shown in the variation in FIG. 4, one roller (45) positioned againstthe two modules (40, 41) can also be used to obtain adjustment of thelongitudinal tension of strip (4). This configuration is especiallysuitable in cases where the number of posters forming the strip exceedstwo.

In this variation, module (40) comprises two power rollers (46) whichare synchronised by means of a chain. Module (41) comprises two idlerollers (48) which are not rotationally driven by means of a motor butare simply guided in rotation by means of guidance elements so as toobtain a revolute joint between module (41) and the two idle rollers(48).

As shown in FIG. 5, the display device can be fixed by its rear face toa wall (57) such as an existing wall or poster panel structure. Lengthsof L-section profile (55) can be used to fix the device very simply byhaving these profiles cooperate with lengths of matching or identicalprofiles attached to wall (57).

As shown, module (50) may consist of a lower motor drive part (54)equipped with a motor (53). This motor (53) can be used to drive severalpower rollers (56) by means of a chain or a synchronous belt inparticular.

A front frame (5) is mounted on the front face in order to concealcomponents of the display device which are visually unattractive.

As shown in FIG. 6, roller (65) capable of producing longitudinaltension in strip (4) can be attached by its ends to tension ropes (63).These ropes (63) converge together, thanks to a system of pulleys (64),on a suspended mass (62). The force of gravity then makes it possible toconstantly tension strip (4) in a direction parallel to the direction inwhich it moves.

As shown in FIG. 7, transverse tensioning of strip (4) can be obtainedby inserting the edges equipped with beads inside slide rails (72, 73).In the variation shown, slide rail (73) is fixed relative to beam (57)whereas slide rail (72) is mobile relative to beam (67). Elastic returncomponents such as springs (71) can be used to produce the desiredtransverse tension by constantly pulling the two slide rails apart.

As shown in FIG. 8, device (1) may also be designed to produce verticalscrolling of strip (4). In addition, movement of strip (4) can bealternating in opposite directions and, in this case, be driven by meansof two power rollers (16, 26) located in the two modules (20, 21). Eachof the two modules (20, 21) thus comprises a motor capable of driving aroller in two directions. The power supply of the various motors mustthen be synchronised in order to make it possible to obtain longitudinaltensioning of strip (4). This example of an embodiment of display device(1) comprises two beams (7) located either side of strip (4).

As shown in FIG. 9, the display device may, in the case of analternating scrolling system, only comprise two rollers (16, 26) whichmust then necessarily be motor driven. In addition, in the case of adevice with vertical scrolling of strip (4), the device can be fixed byits rear face by means of lengths of profiles that extend along modules(20, 21).

The above descriptions demonstrate that a display device in accordancewith the invention offers numerous advantages, in particular:

-   -   it facilitates the transport and storage of very large-sized        display devices    -   it makes it possible to reduce the weight of the rollers and        therefore simplify the mechanical structure for retaining the        rollers inside the device;    -   it can be assembled on-site very quickly and is simple to        maintain because, in particular, it is possible to change just        one module.

1. A display device with horizontal or vertical, alternating orcontinuous scrolling of at least two juxtaposed posters forming a strip,said device comprising a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outergeometry, the posters being viewed on a rectangular front frame, saidstrip being driven in a translational movement parallel to said frontframe by at least one power roller, and further comprising twoindependent modules each comprising means for rotationally guiding theat least one power roller or at least one idle roller, said modulesbeing assembled together by at least one beam and being located onshorter sides of a rectangle formed by the front frame.
 2. A displaydevice as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means of obtainingtransverse tensioning of the strip.
 3. A display device as claimed inclaim 2, wherein the means of obtaining transverse tensioning of thestrip comprise slide rails into which the beads on the edges of thestrip penetrate.
 4. A display device as claimed in claim 3, wherein atleast one side rail moves translationally and transversely relative to adirection in which strip moves.
 5. A display device as claimed in claim4, wherein the means of obtaining transverse tensioning of the stripcomprise elastic return components at one end to a moving slide rail,and, at another end, to the beam which joins the two modules.
 6. Adisplay device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means ofobtaining longitudinal tensioning of the strip.
 7. A display device asclaimed in claim 6, wherein the means of obtaining longitudinallytensioning of the strip comprise a moving roller adapted fortranslational movement relative to at least one power roller with arevolute joint to one of the modules.
 8. A display device as claimed inclaim 7, wherein the roller adapted for translational movement islocated inside a module.
 9. A display device as claimed in claim 7,wherein the roller adapted for translational movement is located outsidethe modules between two beams.
 10. A display device as claimed in claim1, further comprising means for mounting on a rear face.
 11. A displaydevice as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a system forilluminating the strip.